Therapists in Orinda, CA

Many of my clients describe me as compassionate, open-minded, and patient, while maintaining a good sense of humor. I utilize these traits to build rapport with clients, while also drawing upon my knowledge and skill in research-supported interventions to alleviate mental and emotional distress. I specialize in working with adults and adolescents struggling with depression, anxiety, stress management, and life transitions. I also work with people to accept and tolerate their emotional distress, to appropriately communicate their needs in relationships, and to find meaning and purpose in their work, academic, and personal lives.

I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist working in both Hospital and Private Practice settings since 1987. I specialize in Anxiety and Mood Disorders as well as relationship and interpersonal issues. I have been working with individual adults and couples in Psychotherapy for over 25 years. I am very interested in helping individuals adapt to and solve conflicts related to major life transitions, relationships and work related problems.

I am a clinical and developmental psychologist with over 35 years experience. I currently have limited availability for 1) caregivers seeking parenting support; 2) people anticipating or during pregnancy, adoption, fostering or otherwise transitioning to parenthood and early parenting; and, 3) for consultation and supervision for professionals and students.

Dealing with various types of trauma and the ways in which it can impact our daily lives can be challenging. I am here to help you understand that your trauma does not define you. Your trauma reactions are valid and I’d like to support you in the development of healthy coping skills. This will allow you the freedom to transcend beyond traumatic experiences, forging a new path toward growth, healing, recovery and wellness. I can help you navigate and cope with addiction/substance use, PTSD, depression, anxiety, life transitions, identity related issues, and family/interpersonal relationships.

The most important journey you may make in your life is the journey of building an honest and compassionate relationship with yourself. From shame, pride, trauma, and introjected "shoulds" there are so many reasons that we often operate from a partial and compassionless understanding of ourselves. These blind spots can cause us anxiety, depression, addictions and a multitude of other symptoms that we mistake to be "who we are". I have faith in the human condition and the ability our heal into our own fullness. Therapy is the place to make this journey.

I aim to be your ally as you face life’s challenges. We are all individuals with our own needs, cultures, beliefs, and experiences. We all face our challenges in unique ways. I approach therapy from a place of cultural humility, with a strong belief that effective therapy is simultaneously flexible and tailored to you. In my private practice, I specialize in working with members of the LGBTQ+ community, people in STEM and tech fields, college and graduate students, and working adults. Together we can address a wide range of issues, from anxiety, depression, and impostor syndrome, to trauma, grief, and experiences of discrimination.

My orientation is cognitive and behavioral (CBT). I'm a caring compassionate listener and also actively engage with clients to elicit thoughts, feelings, and strategies for healing. My specialties include eating disorders, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, couples, family issues, parenting, and teens. My therapy approach is directive and problem-solving while encouraging self-acceptance and compassion. I believe that everyone is capable of change at their own rate and comfort level. I help my clients eliminate self-critical thinking that too often sabotages their happiness and their relationships.

At times, life can be challenging. Children, adolescents, adults, couples, and even families may need to learn new coping skills. I believe working with a therapist can provide a pathway that allows people to reconnect with their strengths and discover new possibilities for their lives. You can be happier! As a therapist, I can facilitate your ability to understand yourself and the important people in your world. I encourage my clients to make changes that can help them live more happily. I provide a thoughtful, humanistic, solution-focused perspective and work collaboratively with my clients.

Living a life where struggling is a regular experience is difficult to change, because no one wants to feel worse. Therapy helps by talking through what's happened, what feels wrong and what ideas you have about it, all which may be conscious or unconscious. What's unconscious surfaces naturally through our work together. Most people enter therapy afraid, because they don't know where to start or are overwhelmed because so much has happened. I can help you navigate this terrain to relieve pain, clarify thoughts and beliefs, and improve well-being.

Dr. Aza Tetelman is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in depression, anxiety, grief, trauma, inter-generational conflicts and acculturation difficulties. She enjoys facilitating self-understanding via bibliotherapy techniques, whether through the use of novels, self-help books, comics, or other media. She also believes that preventative care is just as important as healing in the aftermath of life challenges. Her clinical approach is warm and attentive, and takes on relational, dialectic, and insight-oriented approaches to treatment.

Whether you are depressed, anxious, confused, or wanting better communication between you and your partner, family, friends or self, I can help you get to know yourself and what is driving your thoughts and feelings. This self wisdom leads to greater choice in your relationships. You can only change you, but changing you leads to changes in the world around you, including the people in your life. I would love to help you listen to and trust your inner guidance in making choices that support you.

Many people want to change some aspect of their life: to feel more joy, less anxiety, more freedom to act, or to say no! To find their authentic voice in relationships. To stop hating themselves. I offer a safe, welcoming environment for clients to explore their worlds. With equal parts gentleness and honesty, we discover their strategies and limitations. Through this clear seeing, choice emerges. We then work to stablize the tender, newer Self. I think of this process as cultivating "self-agency." It's one of the most important things we can do to increase our vitality and happiness.

If you find yourself struggling in life to feel whole, happy, at ease with yourself and being in the world, or feel frustrated with a lack of intimacy in your relationships, I can help you. It is important when searching for a therapist that you feel an honest connection. I give a free 30-minute consultation to help you decide if working with me is a match. I have trained in trauma recovery, somatic work, psychodynamic, cognitive, mindfulness, bioenergetic analysis. My focus has been working with individuals around healing from PTSD, anxiety, eating disorders, bi-polar, and marital relationship issues.

There are times in life when we realize that something needs to change. Life isn’t working as you would like & you feel dissatisfied, going through the motions of everyday life. You might feel empty, sad, lost, or overwhelmed. You might be struggling with anxiety, depression or low self-esteem. Or you may be dealing with relationship, work or school pressures or the effects of trauma. There are a multitude of reasons why someone may consider getting help through therapy. If you are tired of suffering and would like support, I can help.

Navigating life challenges can be overwhelming at times. Loss, too little nuturing, and unresolved wounds can leave us feeling depressed, anxious and searching for answers. Therapy can help us make sense of these and bring us back to our authentic self. By providing a nuturing and collaborative environment we can create change together!

It is my belief that everyone navigates his or her way through their family of origin and early environment by developing strategies and coping techniques, essentially doing the best one can in the circumstances. Later, these ways of handling relationships and stressors can become limiting. Members of couples and families can also develop entrenched ways of relating that become partially based on assumptions. Frustration, anxiety, disappointment and resentment can result. Psychotherapy enables you to understand the evolution of these patterns and develop more choices in how you respond and relate to others.

*VIDEO/PHONE SESSIONS AVAILABLE* Do you find yourself facing difficult or unexpected struggles? Responding to life's challenges can be hard and can result in stress and unwanted feelings or symptoms. I am here to help you gain the strength, confidence, and clarity needed to tackle life’s obstacles and to feel well. I work with individuals from adolescence through adulthood who are dealing with a range of issues including stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, life transitions, relationship and parenting concerns, grief and loss, trauma recovery, and more. I also help couples work through problems and strengthen their bond.

Hello! I am an MFT and I specialize in managing conflict, I can help when it seems that you are constantly battling with your child. I work in the short term to stabalize the situation and get everyone back to the table. Then we work together to resolve the underlying issues. I mostly work with at risk adolescents and their families. These are young people who have had conflicts at home, trouble at school and/or trouble with the law.

As a clinical social worker, I have an eclectic approach to treatment. I help you examine your life experience holistically. I walk beside you in treatment, support you in your endeavors, and cheer you on towards wellness. My therapeutic approach and compassion are rooted in my past work with the homeless population, foster youth, the severe and persistently mental ill, and survivors of rape, domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. After receiving an M.S.W. from the University of Southern California, I practiced in the Los Angeles and San Francisco area.